CCC adaptation report outlines ‘lost decade’ of progress

The March 2023 ‘Progress in adapting to climate change’ report examined the work done over the course of the second National Adaptation Programme – known as ‘Nat 2’ - which has been running since 2018. Assessments were made across a broad range of areas, such as water supply, food security, energy, transport, buildings, health, and finance.

Across a total of 45 different adaptation metrics, the CCC found that there was insufficient evidence that action in any of the 45 areas was ‘happening at the rates required to manage risks appropriately’. For around one-quarter of the metrics, no evidence of any progress was found.

According to the CCC, the National Adaptation Programme ‘fails to match the scale of the challenge now facing the country…lacks a clear vision…(and)is not underpinned by tangible outcomes or targets’. Furthermore, it has been found to have had little or no impact on government policy, despite the UK experiencing record temperatures, wildfires and infrastructure disruption across the summer of 2022.